The Gatekeeper's Mistake: Book One
by fighting-dreamer179
Summary: Due to a mistake, Kakashi ends up in the real world.
1. Arrival

**The Gatekeeper's Mistake**

Chapter One: Arrival

Alviss stood in the center a a field with a determined expression on his face. "ARM, hear my cry. Open! I command you!"

-----

Kakashi was strolling unnhuriedly down the path from the Memorial Stone leading back to Konoha. Suddenly the brightly lit forest was plunged into darkness. Vaguely wondering if his hitaiate had fallen over his right eye too, he reached up and discovered that it was in its usual position. Starting to become concerned, Kakashi drew a kunai from the holster on his right leg. To his suprise, a strange clown-like figure appeared, who then grabbed him, brining Kakashi closer and closer toward a doorway that loomed ahead in the blackness all around. Kakashi struggled futilely against the apparition's vicelike grip, but found himself tumbling through a portal to somewhere he didn't recognize, unable to do anything about it.

---

Kakashi stood up slowly. everything was sore - probably from falling out of that hole in the air. His ears ached intensely. Why was it so loud? Konoha wasn't loud. Kakashi looked around him. Skyscrapers stood everywhere, perople shoued everywhere, and on the roads...

An earsplitting screeh caused him to wheel about. A woman was shouting angrily at him from her car window. Unfortunately, it was all in another language.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand you," Kakashi stated calmly in Japanese. The woman's fury eased a bit. "I know some Japanese. What in the world are you doing in the middle of the street?"

Normally on such occasions Kakashi would have an answer reay, but this time the only thing he could think of to say was,"I'm not sure."

The stranger, taken aback by his response, fell silent. Rubbing the back of his head self-consciously, Kakashi forced himself to ask, "Can you tell me where this is?" The woman obliged. You're in New York City of the United States of America," she respoded proudly.

Casting wary glances at passing traffic, most of which had almost stopped to stare at this strange scene, Kakashi spoke again. "Can you tell me where that is?"

-----

Shelby turned the key in the ignition, restarting the car. "I can't believe I just picked up a masked stranger! What am I going to do with him and why did I have to be the one to run into him?!" she ranted silently to herself. Her roommate, Noon, was not going to like this.

---

Kakashi sat silently in the back of the car. Being from a ninja village deep within the forest, most of the things he saw were new to him, so he carefully observed everything, incredibly grateful for the mask that hid his quiet awe from these strange people. He could tell that the woman who helped him out was nervous and frustrated, often looking back at him angrily, though whether at herself or Kakashi, he was unable to tell. It was only natural, considering his strange appearance and the obvious fact that somebody like him rarely passed through this place. Kakashi wondered absently how he would survive until he could figure out a way to return to Konohagakure.

Kakashi was still half-immersed in hiscontemplation when Shelby suddenly turned off the car. "We're here," she stated.

---

Kakashi stared at he inside of the apartment. In some was it reminded him of where he lived.

Shelby dropped her keys of a table next to the door, calling her friend's name. "Noon! I'm home!"

The person who appeared was a darkskinned woman in an orange dress so bright that Kakashi was forced to look away to preserve his eyesight. Howver, this action only caused the waman to notice him sooner, much to his chagrin.

"Who is this guy, and what in the world is he waring?" Noon demanded.

"I found him in the middle of the street. He looked pretty confused, Noon. You should have seen him, the poor guy."

Glancing at her friend strangely, Noon whispered, "He's right here, you know."

Realizing the reason for her friend's look, Shelby hurriedly reassured her. "No, no, he can only understand Japanese."

Noon raised and eyebrow. "Really? Then what is he doing here?"

Shelby could only shrug expressively.

---

Kakashi stared out the window while listening to their conversation, so foreign to his ears. Of course, it didn't take a Genius to know that they were talking about him. He sighed, feeling very lost in this strange world.

"So you just picked up a wierdly-dressed, masked stranger and brought him home with you?!"

Shelby defendend herself against Noon's tirade. "What else could I do? It's not as if he has anywhere else to go."

Shaking her head in frustration, Noon burst out, "Then leave him to be somebody else's problem! Come on, Shelby! Masked men are always hiding sonething. What if he kills you?"

Shocked and angry at her friend's thoughtless statement, Shelby retorted, "Noon! What's wrong with you? You're usually willing to help people out without any questions, but you condemn this man as soon as you see him! Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Noon backed off. "No, it's just - this is so unlike you, Shelby. Why 'd you help him?"

"I told you: he seemed like he needed a little help." Gazing at Kakashi with a curious expression, she continued,"Besides, it's not every person in New York who can speak fluent Japanese!" Shelby gave a small laugh.

Trying to redeem herself, Noon queried, "Did you ask him his name?"

Suprised at her carelessness, Shelby mused, "No, I guess I haven't." Striding over to where Kakashi stood, Shelby prepared to do just that.

---

The woman who helped him earlier was coming over. Kakashi readied himself for what she might say.

"I just realized that I never asked, so what's your name?"

Okay, that was unexpected.

"My name is Kakashi," he replied evenly.

"Do you have a last name?"

"Yes."

"May I ask what it is?" she returned expectantly.

"Yes."

A little annoyed, Shelby questioned him again. "Will you tell me what it is?"

Shrugging, Kakashi replied nonchalantly, "Probably not."

Her irritation quickly replace with humor at his unusual attitude, Shelby couldn't resist indulging in a small chuckle.

Noon watched this exchange with uncomprehending eyes. "So, what did he say?"

Still amused, Shelby replied, "He said his name is Kakashi, but he wouldn't tell me his last name. He's very stubborn." She glanced back at the nin, still laughing quietly to herself. Failing to see what was so funny, Noon sighed reluctantly. "I guess we can keep him here, but only for a little while. He needs to get back to...wherever he came from."

Shelby gratefully thanked her before relaying the message to Kakashi in Japanese, who winced at some of her pronounciation but thanked them both for their generousity. Overjoyed at Noon's capitulation, Shelby took of excitedly to show Kakashi where everything was.

"This is the bathroom, there's the kitchen, and this is where Noon and I keep our beds. Sorry, but you'll have to take the couch. We weren't exactly expection visitors." She turned to Kakashi, who nodded that it was alright. It's not as though he would be able to sleep much anyway.

"Thank you for your hospitality," he replied formally. Shelby continued, "If you need anything, just call me. Here's the phone number," she said, writing it down. Kakashi stood there, feeling like an idiot. Shelby saw his dilemma. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Here, I'll show you how it works. You pick up the phone, dial thee numbers, and I should be able to answer. When you're done, just hang it back up." She assisted her explanation by demonstrating the process while speaking. "Any questions?"

"Nope, I've got it," Kakashi replied.

"That was fast," commented Shelby interestedly. He nodded affirmatively. He had always learned quickly. After all, it wasn't for nothing he was called the Genius of Konoha.

Shelby picked up her keys from the table. "I've got to get back to work now. I told Dirk I would be there hours ago. Oh well, he won't mind." She pulled the door shut, calling behind her, "Nice meeting you!"

---

Noon sighed as she heard the door close. "Now I'm stuck with this guy, and I can't understand a word he says." She turned to see Kakashi inspecting a bookshelf. "Not that you say much anyway."


	2. The Dojo

Chapter Two: The Dojo

Browsing through Shelby's bookshelf, Kakashi spied several Japanese novels and a Japanese-English dictionary. He picked it up off the shelf and sat on the couch to page through. After a while he pulled a book written in English off the shelf as well. Noon watched him suspiciously. He coulkn't possibly learn an entirely new language in a matter of hours! But then, she mused, he probably had nothing better to do. When Shelby returned, she immediately noticed Kakashi in the corner, reading a book in English. "I thought you didn't understand English?"she mentioned. He replied in Japanese."I learn quickly, but it's not as though I can speak it yet." Shelby nodded in understanding, amazed at the strange man's abilities. What else could he be capable of? And more importantly, she thought, where did he come from?

Seemingly oblivious to her scrutiny, Kakashi continued reading the book. Although at first he only understood a few words here and there, now he could read about half the page without any difficulty. "Besides," he said to himself, "in such a cramped village I doubt there's any good place for me to keep my skills up without killing something."

Shelby, wanting to be polite to her guest, however strange, decided to help him occupy his time. "If you want I can teach you how to play chess or something," she offered. He glanced up from his book. Shelby blushed, feeling embarrased for no reason. "I mean, you don't have to, but I just thought you might like to do something else for a change," she managed. Still expressionless, he nodded, secretly relieve for an escape from the monotony filling his day.

Once she pointed out the basics of the game, Kakashi grasped its concept easily. Although Shelby's coworkers often praised her for her chess skills, Kakashi was able to beat her easily, amazing her yet again. When he had defeated her five times in less than half an hour, she was forced to resign.

"I give up!" she excaimed laughing. "You're way too good!" Smiling beneath his mask, Kakashi thought of his "rival", Gai. "If only he had given up so easily," Kakashi chuckled mentally. In some ways he missed that man.

Shelby noticed Kakashi's expression become more distant, probably thinking of wherever he had come from. Determined not to let her guest fall into depression, Shelby changed the subject to him. "So, what's it like where you're from?" Shelby asked as unexpectedly as she could, intending to suprise him out of his reverie.

It worked.

Kakashi thought about it for a moment. "Interesting," he said, finally deciding that was the best word to use for his experiences. Shelby raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

Kakashi shrugged, "Obviously I can't say much about the village for security reasons. . ." Shelby's eyebrow went higher. ". . .but there's this one kid who's forever causing trouble." Kakashi smiled fondly at the memory of some of his Naruto's antics. "It's very eventful having him as my student." Shelby became intrigued at this.

"Student? You're a teacher?" Eyeing his outfit, she added, "You sure don't seem like the type."

Not seeing any harm in it, Kakashi felt compelled to add, "It's a ninja school."

Shelby was taken off guard by Kakashi's unpredictable nature. The silver-haired stranger, usually so secretive, suddenly announced that he was a ninja. Shelby would be in shock for a long time, but she had to admit - it made sense. Kakashi was watching her face with an amused expression. That guy's enjoying this, Shelby noticed with irritation.

"So a ninja, huh? What's that mean? Like, what can you do?" Shelby asked, interested.

"Lots of things, I guess, but it's easier to show that kind of stuff than to explain it," Kakashi reiterated, rubbing the back of his head thoughtfully. "And besides, some techniques can't be used too close to a village without killing someone." Curiousity piqued, Shelby rushed to put on her coat. "What are you waiting for? Let's go! I know the perfect place. " Before he could protest, Shelby was out the door and halfway to her car. Sighing, Kakashi reluctantly followed.

-----

"Here we are! Vic's dojo, training grounds of many highly skilled karate specialists." Turning off the car, Shelby glanced back at Kakashi and grinned. "Let's see how you do." Kakashi tried to object politely, but without effect. Finally he gave in. "Can't be helped, I guess," he murmured wearily. Shelby's grin grew still wider. "Come on, it'll be fun!" she called, almost racing to the intrance in her excitement. In spite of himself, Kakashi smiled at her antics. The people here sure are stramge, he thought as he followed her through the door.

---

About twenty men were in the middle of various sparring matches. Each group had from three to five people in it, and some of them were using weapons - sticks, staffs, and the like. Kakashi observed them for a moment. Then, shaking his head with feigned disapointment, he remarked to Shelby in English, "They aren't worth my time. Even if all of them came at me at once the would still be unable to beat me." Shelby looked at the nin, suprised to hear him speaking English, but the men ware more interested in what the cocky, masked stranger had said. One of the men called out, "What maked you think that you can take us on, old man?"

"Old man?" Kakashi repeated, confused. He glanced at Shelby, who pointed at his white hair in explanation. Kakashi laughed. "I'm not as old as you may think," he said, wondering to himself, I don't really look that old, do I?

Gesturing expansively, Kakashi continued, "But I meant what I said about taking all of you on without a problem." A few of the younger guys were eager to take him on. "Sounds good to me!" said the man who had spoken earlier. Kakashi walked to one side of the floor, stating calmly, "I hope you're walls aren't as hard as thay look or most of you will likely leave here with something broken." The men lined up on the opposite side of the school, some faces showing their desire to beat him to a pulp. "Whenever you're ready, I'll explain the rules."

"Rules? What rules? Why do we need rules?" yelled some of them angrily, tightly gripping their weapons.

"Since you are the ones who want to fight me, I figured I could set the rules. Otherwise I may decide to walk out of here without defeating you." Kakashi pulled a pair of bells from his pocket. Thankfully he had been carrying those around when he had been taken from Konoha. "All you have to do is take one of these bells from me. Sound good?"

"Whatever, let's just get on with it!" returned the man furiously.

Kakashi nodded in confirmation, nonchalantly pulling out his book. Catching the title, Shelby blushed profusely.

"Go!" shouted one of the men, and the fight began.

Several men rushed Kakashi all at once, coordinating their attacs in an impressive display. Still reading his book, Kakahi dodged every attack so fast that no one could see him move. The bells jingled constantly, taunting the opponents. Kakashi noticed some of the more experienced members standing back, waiting for the right moment to strike. Good, a strategy. At least someone is fighting intelligently, Kakashi thought with satisfaction, just barely avoiding an attack to his face. This was one of those times where he could really use the sharingan, but he wasn't about to show it to these people. Suddenly a hand shot out from behind him and grabbed his hitaiate, ripping it off. Kakashi berated himself for being so careless. He really needed to pay more attention in these fights.

---

Shelby gasped as she saw the scar bisecting Kakashi's left eye. Where in the world had he gotten that? Stupid, she chided herself, he's a ninja - no doubt he was injured on a mission or something. Staring at Kakashi more intently than she had before, Shelby wondered, "Is that the reason he hides his face?"

---

Kakashi jumped out of the men's reach, still keeping his left eye closed. "I suppose I could just take my hitaiate back from you, but that would ruin the fight, so instead I'll use..." he slowly opened his hidden eye. "Sharingan!"

---

Shelby stared in astonishment. She had never seen an eye like that before. Suddenly Kakashi went on the offensive, devastating any opponent who was unlucky enough to be in his path, weaponless or not. With each blow he seemed to move faster than before, until all Shelby could see was a vague blur. He probably would have gone faster still - if he hadn't run out of opponents. Plucking his hitaiate from a man's twitching fingers, Kakashi tied it around his head and slipped it back down to its familiar position, stating calmly, "You were right, Shelby; that was fun."

She could only stare in awe.


	3. Sharingan Uncovered

Chapter Three: Sharingan Uncovered

Shelby woke up early the next morning. What a crazy night that had been! Turning of the alarm that had yet to go off, she thought beck to Kakashi's astounding display of power. Who would have guessed what he could do just by looking at him?

---

As Shelby made her way to the kitchen to make coffee for Noon, she glimpsed Kakashi sleeping fitfully of the couch. Shelby inspected him, wondering what plauged his dreams so. Curiosity overcoming her better judgement, Shelby moved toward the sleeping nin. Ever so gently pulling back his hitaiate, Shelby began to expose the eye he hid from the world. What she saw was a long, thin scar running through the cinter of his eye, deeper than she had first suspected, reaching from the middle of his forehead to the top of his cheekbone.

Suddenly his eye snapped open.

Shelby was shocked to see that it was blood-red with three swirling specks of black floating there, seeming to spiral slowly within its depths. The sight was mesmerizing, and she found herself unable to pull away.

In the next moment Kakashi sat up and pushed the hitaiate back down with practiced ease, breaking the spell. Shelby jumped up in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to invade your privacy; I have no idea what came over me!" she said, apologizing profusely. Kakashi assured her that he was fine, but his selfconsciousness showed itself nevertheless.

-----

By the time Shelby returned from work, the shock of her discovery wore off. Kakashi was actually a little impressed that she had enough bravery to peek at his Sharingan even though at times she was obviously intimidated by him. Kakashi resolved to try to be less overbearing - she deserved it after she had been so helpful, considering his situation, though it wasn't his fault this stuff had happened to him.

Shelby walked through the door, trepidation clearly evident on her features. Kakashi greeted her calmly from the couch where he was reading. "Yo."

"Hi," Shelby returned nervously. "Um, Kakashi..."

"Hai?"

"Look, I'm sorry about this morning. I just - "

"It's fine," he interrupted her. There was no need to go through that again.

"Right." She quickly changed the subject. "Since we have no idea when you can return to your village, you should probably havea change of clothes. If you don't mind, I can help you shop for some. I would have asked Noon to come, but she's not entirely comfortable around you, and, let's face it - her fashion sense is atrocious, if you didn't know that already."

Kakashi nodded. He _did _know. That afternoon he had been nearly blinded by the hot pink monstrosity she called a dress.

Shelby continued. "Because I don't know what your preferences are, I thought it best if I asked you first before buying anything."

Kakashi shrugged as if to say, "Sure, why not?" After all, it would be a good chance to brush up on his language shills.

-----

"Shopping," as Shelby put it, had been relatively uneventful. Kakashi tried to speak English as much as he could, but there were times when he accidentally reverted back to his natural language. Fortunately for him Shelby didn't seem to mind.

Eventually they found him about three or four extra changes of clothing, plus a blaringly green shirt that reminded so much of Gai that he just had to get it.

He now wore black pants, a white shirt, and his mask, a black sweatband temporarily replacing his hitaiate. Kakashi kept his own shoes, though - he was unable to find anything else that met his standards, and they didn't stick out too much.

Since they had some spare time, Kakashi and Shelby went to a local bookstore. By the time they left it was already getting dark. When they were only a few blocks away from Shelby's place, the car broke down. "Shoot!" she raged. "And I had this thing inspected just last week!" Kakashi opened the passenger door and stepped out. "We'll just have to walk," he said calmly, picking up the items they had purchased and carrying them effortlessly over his shoulder.

Seeing no other choice, Shelby followed, calling after him, "Wait up, would ya?"

When she she caught upwith him she pointed down the road back the way they had come. "Over there is a shortcut. About three blocks down is an alley that cuts through the jouses. It'll save us around twenty minutes of walking." Nodding assent, Kakashi set off in that direction.

-----

Before he entered the alley, Kakashi paused. Something wasn't right. As if to prove him right, three men jumped out of the shadows, who slowly advanced toward Shelby, obviously intending to take her money. Kakashi stepped forward, briefly wishing that he hadn't allowed Shelby to convince him to leave most of his weapons behind. Oh, well, it's not as though he needed them anyway.

One of the men grinned, swinging a club, the others similarly armed. "It's one against three, weirdo, so you're outta luck. Why don't you just back off now and nobody jets hurt," the furst theif said, smiling menacingly. Kakashi looked at the man lazily. "You never know who you're up ahainst, so why are you underestimating me? It will only result in your deaths."

Shelby started at the mention of killing them, but the robbers were unfazed. They had heard threats before.

"C'mon, old man! What can you possibly do? You can't beat us!" one of them taunted Kakashi, who sighed as if reluctant to do what he was about to. "Just as I suspected. You are weak children who hide behind masks to make yourselves look tough. You're not worth my time." He turned to walk away.

This enraged the thieves beyond measure. Two of them rushed at Kakashi, the third not far behind. Swinging his weapon at Kakashi, the man who had first taunted the nin let out an infuriated cry. However, Kakashi was no longer there. With a short series of hand signs to fast for human eyes to follow, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, the three people who were attacking him were buried up to their necks while Kakashi stood behind them, carefully dusting off his hands. "It seems that you really are weak. And to think I only said that to test you."

Suddenly becoming fully aware of their plight, all three struggled futilely against the unmoving ground, shouting in rage at the ninja.

Shelby stared in astonishment. What was that? How did he do it? She had never seen anything like it! Shelby inspected Kakashi closely. This was nothing like what he did at the dojo!

---

Kakashi turned to leave once more, but again he stopped. "This chakra! It can't be!" he thought in astonishment. Wheeling about, he reached up to push up the black sweatband that had replaced his hitiate. Shelby glanced at him nervously. What was so special about this eye that he had to hide it? In spite of the situation, she felt her curiosity pique. Maybe this time she would find out.

---

Kakashi opened his left eye, exposing the Sharingan and causing the thieves to whimper in fear at the coming punishment. "Quiet, you idiots!" he hissed at them, straining his ears for the slightest hint that would warn him of an attack. In his anxiety he had accidentally reverted to Japanese, but they understood the message. The only sound was traffic passing by on the street at the entrance of the alley. If only I had a few shuriken! Kakashi searched all around for his chakra signature, finally locating it several feet behind them.

"Itachi."


	4. Itachi

Chapter Four: Itachi

Kakashi stared at the man standing at the entrance of the alley. "Uchiha Itachi. How did you come to be here?" Kakashi demanded, preparing himself for a surprise attack.

"Apparently, whatever brought you here did the same for me. No matter. This just gives me an opportunity, since it is in my best interest to defeat you now so you will not interfere later." Itachi spoke calmly, his voice lacking all emotion.

Kakashi's smirk was hidden by his mask. "Don't you mean _if _you defeat me, Itachi?"

Shelby watched from where she had been standing the entire time, warily glancing between the two men. Tension clogged the air, making it difficult to breathe. In less than half a second, Kakashi had formed the four seals for the Raikiri, which was steadily growing in size. The three thieves would have run away screaming if they weren't still buried in the asphalt. As it was, they screamed anyway, causing Kakashi to wince at the sudden noise. Itachi took advantage of his momentary distraction to throw dozens of shuriken at him, which were only increased in number by the shadow shuriken technique.

Kakashi dodged the attack and rushed at Itachi, the Raikiri in his right hand obliterating the wall beside him. In an instant he had reached Itachi and punched his hand straight through him, burying his hand up to the elbow in Itachi's body, which suddenly disappeared. Substitution! I should caught it, Kakashi cursed himself for his foolish mistake. Unfortunately, having a pair of his own, Itachi knew how to fool the Sharingan quite well. Moving to pull himself free, Kakashi found he was unable to do so, for at that moment Itachi disappeared, leaving behind sticky substance in his place. Kakashi silently cursed himself for his foolishness; he should have known better than to be fooled by a mere substitution jutsu. Drawing a kunai with his free hand, Kakashi hacked at the mass of goo to free his arm. As soon as he could move a little, Kakashi formed the seals for the Katon: Gokakyou no Jutsu in lightning-fast strokes, burning the gelatinous mass that had temporarily encumbered him.

Realizing that he had lost precious time and chakra, Kakashi turned to face Itachi, only to find it harder to move than he expected. Kakashi glared at Itachi, who now stood in front of him. "Staying in this warless world has made you weaker, Hatake. The great Copy Ninja should know better than to underestimate me. Did you truly believe that was a simple substitution?" Itachi's voice was subtlely filled with scorn, and the way he spoke the name "Hatake" grated on Kakashi.

"A poison this weak won't take me down before I defeat you, Itachi. You know that." Itachi closed his eyes, smiling slightly in that evil way unique to the ex-nin. "I've got better things to do, so I'll finish you quickly." He had opened his eyes again, revealing the Mangekyou Sharingan. Kakashi had no choice - he was forced to face off with Itachi again, even though he had no chance of victory. Sure enough, he found himself in Tsukoyomi once more. This time Itachi would be harder on him for having survived last round.

---

Shelby watched quietly as the mysterious silver-haired man fought yet another stranger to her. Although they knew each other, it was obvious that they weren't on good terms. She stared at Kakashi. What was with the "Copy Ninja" remark, and why did the other man have the same mysterious red eyes as the one Kakashi was always hiding?

Something was happening. Kakashi suddenly froze up then fell to the ground nearly unconscious, as if in great pain. Having no idea what was going on but refusing to let anyone die, herself included, Shelby picked up a conviniently-placed length of metal piping, rushing at the man in the black and red cloak. She swung the pipe at him, intending to catch him off guard. Unfortunately, Kakashi wasn't the only genius of Konoha. Itachi easily avoided her blow, counterstriking with five shuriken. Her quick reflexes helped her avoid most of them, but the last one caught her in her left arm, slicing deep. However, in those few precious moments, Kakashi had recovered enough to stab Itachi's left ankle with a kunai, severing the Achilles tendon. Fighting exhaustion and unconsciousness, Kakashi forced himself to his knees, determined to protect those in his charge.

Shelby, noticing that Itachi's attention was on Kakashi, swung the pipe as fast as she was able. Itachi jumped with his good foot, easily avoiding her desperate blow, and escaped. Sighing in relief, Shelby dropped the pipe and sat down hard. Suddenly, she heard a thump. Looking at Kakashi, to her surprise she discovered that he had collapsed.

-----

Kakashi groaned and looked up, expecting to see the white ceiling of a hospital. To his surprise, it was a gentle blue. Strange, he didn't know of any blue ceilings in Konoha. Maybe Kurenai had been concerned for him and had Gai help her fix up his apartment again. Sitting up carefully to look around, Kakashi realized that although it was an apartment, it wasn't his. Reality set in as he remembered what had transpired. He wondered offhandedly if Shelby had survived, but natural concern got the better of him.

Kakashi forced his feet to walk calmly to the kitchen. Noon was there, holding a box of macaroni, about to make breakfast. "You should probably still be resting. Shelby had the night shift, so after she drove you back, she went directly to work. She'll be back in about an hour," Noon stated, turning toward the silver-haired ninja. Noon glared at him dangerously. "She told me nothing and refused to explain why there was a two-inch deep laceration in her arm. I want to know what happened," she demanded. Still sore, Kakashi shrugged the best he could. "I suppose someone followed me here somehow and attacked me. There's not much to say," Kakashi ran a hand through the back of his hair, wondering furiously to himself why it had to be Itachi. Almost anyone else he could have handled, mainly thanks to Obito's Sharingan, but _His_ was more powerful. This was not good.

---

Watching the ninja carefully, Noon observed his reserved and hidden concern. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. Turning back to her macaroni, she decided to give the man a chance.

-----

Shelby let out a long sigh. Her boss had given her trouble for being late, but she wasn't about to tell him that a strange man with white hair had turned out to be a ninja and that one of his enemies had attacked them. Smiling at the irony, Shelby closed the door quietly so as not to wake up Kakashi. Setting her keys on the table, she looked up to see him in front of her. "You're supposed to still be in bed, you know." Putting down the book he was reading, he shrugged nonchalantly. "I was never good at that," he admitted. He looked toward her arm. "How's the injury?" Shelby moved her arm around, wincing slightly. "Could be better, but I'm fine." Kakashi hesitated, then said decisively, "Here, give me your arm." Confused, Shelby obliged. Kakashi placed his hand, glowing with green chakra, over the wound, which grew warm and began to heal. When he finished, Shelby inspected the wound, which had miraculously disappeared. "Just go easy on it for a while, 'kay? I'm still a little tired, so I couldn't do as good a job."

"Where did you do that? It's amazing," Shelby exclaimed in astonishment. Kakashi replied without thinking, taken off guard by her open manner. "I picked up a few medical jutus from Rin a while back. It's nothing special." He stopped, memories of his former teammate flooding back.

Shelby noticed. "Was she special to you?" Kakashi gave a start and a short, humorless laugh. "Now you sound like Haku."

Oblivious to his pain, Shelby pressed on. "Who was he?"

Kakashi stood up, hands in his pockets. "He died. It doesn't matter now."

Now fully aware she had blundered across an invisible line, Shelby was quick toapologize. "Sorry, I didn't really mean to offend you."

Kakashi's voice was completely neutral. "It's fine, no harm done."

Shelby mentally kicked herself for committing yet another blunder. Desperate to change the topic, she switched the discussion to a subject that had been plauging her all night. "What happened back then with the Itachi guy? Since he was facing you, I couldn't see what happened, but he did something because suddenly collapsed."

Kakashi momentarily wondered whether to tell her, but decided it couldn't hurt. "It's called the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Shelby nodded. "Sharingan, like you have?"

Kakashi's voice was gravely serious. "Yes, only much worse. The Mangekyou is achieved by killing your best friend. Only one who has the Sharingan can hope even to survive his technique."

"Then you should be able to beat him, right?" Shelby asked, curious.

Kakashi shook his head no. "It's a long story, but the eye is not really even mine, so it's not as effective. Besides, unless I had the Mangekyou myself, I couldn't counter his Tsukoyomi technique."

Shelby stared at him in wonder. The more she discovered about him, the more mysterious he became. A strange, powerful eye that wasn't even his? He looked unusual enough when she had first seen him in front of her car, but she would never have expected anything of this sort to come along!


	5. Protection

Chapter 5: Protection

After thinking over his idea, Kakashi decided to approach Shelby. "Itachi will probably come for you now that he knows I have connections with you here. It would be best if I stayed with you for your own protection." Kakashi continued humorously, "Think of me as your own personal bodyguard."

Shelby started to protest but stopped when she realized the wisdom of the his words. Nodding slowly, she accepted. "I suppose that would be the best thing, since undoubtedly I would have no chance against this guy on my own." She hesitated. "However, are you sure you're alright with this? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with people staring at you all the time." Kakashi thought of the irony of her statement. what with ANBU, covering the Sharingan, and his ever-present facial mask, by now Kakashi was used to being stared at. "I doubt it will bother me," he stated reasonably. He wondered why she was bringing this up now.

-----

It turns out that Shelby was a geneticist, working at a place called Kessler Laboratories. Even with his mask on, in some of the rooms Kakashi had trouble breathing because of the smells clogging the air. Thankfully, Shelby worked mostly in research, so the air in her workplace was fairly clean. As soon as he walked in, Kakashi noticed the man sitting at the other desk. So that's why Shelby had asked him those unusual questions.

"Hi, Shelby, looks like you're back on time again," the man greeted her, his face cheerful. That is, until he spotted Kakashi standing in the doorway. "Who's that?" he asked suspiciously.

Shelby attempted to calm her coworker. "Jeff, this is Kakashi. Kakashi, meet Jeff. He's - a friend of a friend and will be staying in town for a couple days until he can catch a plane back to Japan."

Inspecting Kakashi's unusual hair color, Jeff asked pointedly, "And just how old is your friend's friend?" Kakashi sighed to himself. How many age jokes could these people make? "I'm not as old as you think I am," he commented. Jeff looked at him blankly, as if expecting him to be an alien or something else incapable of speaking plain English. Kakashi stared back, causing the man to break eye contact first.

"Yes, well, if he's staying in town for a while and you hardly know him, then why is he with you, especially while you're at work?" Jeff demanded after composing himself. Kakashi was very good at staring people down.

"Oh, he insisted on protecting me! Apparently it's some Japanese custom where he's from." The silver-haired nin nodded for Jeff's benefit. Shelby was pretty good at this for having very little experience.

Jeff held his hands up in mock surrender. "Whatever, Shelby. Your private life is not my business. I was just trying to be a good partner and look out for you, that's all." Shelby smiled her thanks but assured him once more that everything was fine. Jeff still looked doubtful, so Kakashi added his opinion. "This man is genuinely concerned for your safety. You should listen to your partner more often, Shelby-san." So saying he took up his post near the window to watch for Itachi's return.

Gaping in suprise at this sudden turn of events, Jeff stared at the pale-haired stranger. Laughing quietly to herself at Jeff's reaction, not unlike her own, Shelby commented, "He tends to do some unexpected things every now and then, especially when you're not prepared for it." Giving Jeff a sympathetic smile, Shelby went to her own desk to start the day's work.

---

For hours on end Kakashi kept his vigil, aware that the entire time Jeff kept an eye on him, if not both eyes. Kakashi silently congratulated the man. After all, you shouldn't completely trust a masked stranger, not even ANBU. You never knew when the face of the enemy was the one disguising itself.

---

Eventually Shelby's workday ended, and Kakashi gave a small sigh of relief that Itachi had not shown up. This place was far too crowded for a serious shinobi battle without ending in dozens of casualties.

Shelby shared the nin's sentiments. She had a feeling that she had only seen a small part of Itachi's power, and that was more thatn enough to astound her. She had no intention of ever discovering his true potential, especially if she was on the receiving end. However, Shelby doubted she and Kakashi could avoid him forever.

---

Jeff watched this silent exchange with apprehention. "I knew it!" he declared to himself. "I knew something was going on. Now all I have to do is find out exactly _what_ they're hiding."

-----

On the way back in Noon's car, Shelby quietly remarked to Kakashi, "I'm glad he didn't come." Secretly agreeing, Kakashi replied, "He'll be back soon enough." Glancing over to where Kakashi sat, Shelby replied, "That wasn't exactly comforting." Fixing her with an unnerving one-eyed stare, Kakashi said seriously, "It wasn't meant to be."

---

Before collapsing on the couch, Kakashi summoned Pakkun, requesting that he keep an eye on things while the nin slept. Noon immediately began ranting at Kakashi for bringing a pet inside the house but fell silent in shock as Pakkun himself reassured her that he would be no trouble at all. Grinning secretly at having caught the imperturbable woman off guard, Kakashi leaned back to sleep, his waepons close at hand and senses on high alert.

-----

The next morning when Shelby's alarm went off, Kakashi leapt up in surprise, a kunai drawn, and ready to attack the first thing that moved. Noon came out of the kitchen and, eyebrows raised, remarked, "A little high-strung this morning, are we?" Relaxing his stance, Kakashi sheathed his kunai. "I guess so," he commented offhandedly, carefully straightening his shirt to cover his embarrassment at the uncharacteristic actions he had just displayed. It seemed he did that sort of thing alot lately.

---

A few minutes later, after breakfast - which Kakashi politely declined, as he wasn't hungry anyway - they headed out again. This time, Shelby hadn't protested when Kakashi strapped on his kunai holster.

-----

Jeff seemed a little suprised to see Kakashi back again, but aparrently he had resigned himself to the nin's presence, though Kakashi doubted it. In any event, Jeff didn't say anything one way or another.

Everything went smoothly until around eleven o'clock, when a shrill alarm sounded in the entire building, sending a piercing pain through Kakashi's highly sensitive ears as he unsnapped the holster and had already removed a kunai before catching Shelby's unworried expression. "It's just the fire alarm, Kakashi. Every now and then we have one of these. It's completely normal, nothing to worry about," she explained to him. "All we have to do is calmly exit the building." Kakashi resheathed his weapon, aware that Jeff was watching him. Obviously kunai were rather uncommon in New York, but it wasn't easy to dampen the instinctive action of drawing your weapon. Gently blushing, Kakashi followed Shelby out the door.

Due to their slight delay, they were the last ones to leave that floor. As they made for the stairs, Kakashi felt that something was wrong. He paused in dread as realization struck him.

"Get down!" he shouted, dragging Jeff and Shelby to the floor. Jeff protested furiously, but shut up as soon as several shuriken embedded themselves in the wall where his head had just been less than a second ago. Fear tinged Shelby's voice, causing it to tremble. "Itachi?"

Nodding solemnly, Kakashi answered, "No doubt about it." As he spoke, Jeff looked at the two of them, a bewildered expression on his face. Once again drawing his kunai, Kakashi's left hand pushed back the white strands of hair that hung over his left eye and shifted the black sweatband to his forehead, just as he had done so many times before with his hitaiate.

As an explosion demolished the wall behind them, Kakashi berated himself for becoming nostalgic over a simple headband. Itachi stepped through the hole, his Sharingan activated as always and the Akatsuki cape billowing in the breeze created by the blast. Jeff could only gaze at the scene in amazement.

Holding his kunai in a ready position, Kakashi called to Shelby, "Get your friend out of here. I'll hold him off." He spoke in English because he doubted she had the mental faculties to translate Japanese at the moment. Woken from her trance, Shelby obediently followed Kakashi's orders, helping Jeff to his feet him as they stumbled down the stairs together, supporting each other.

---

"I won't fail to kill you this time," Itachi stated, his voice cold as ice.

Kakashi opened his left eye. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you, Itachi-san."


	6. Aftermath

Chapter Six: Aftermath

Shelby looked up at the floor she had just exited. Fire raged freely, licking at the windows and spreading upward. Remembering some of the things she had seen the silver-haired nin do, Shelby found it entirely possible that he was battling Itachi there. After several minutes had passed, the fire quit growing so quickly and just burned steadily. Shelby looked at the building's entrance, hoping that meant Kakashi had won and would be coming out any time now. Suddenly one of her more feminine coworkers screamed in fear. Looking up, Shelby saw that the window had burst, raining glass around the two shinobi who were fighting hand-to-hand while falling. At about the seventh floor the two men slid to a stop on the side of the building, suprising Shelby just as much as everybody else that was watching. Some people, thinking that this was an elaborate stunt for some movie, began cheering on the fighters, who unexpectedly they stopped their battle, standing off in what strangely resembled a classic showdown. Shelby's heart sank. She had seen this before.

Sure enough Kakashi fell off the wall, his body thumping loudly on the concrete below. Her concern getting the better of the need for secrecy, Shelby rushed toward the fallen nin. Reaching him, she discovered that he was uninjured, merely stunned. After a moment, Kakashi groaned and sat up. Realizing that his eye was uncovered, Shelby located the black sweatband and handed it to him. "Thanks," he said wearily, cursing himself for his weakness. By that time he looked up, Itachi had disappeared.

---

Supporting Kakashi the best she could on her own, Shelby called to Jeff, irritated at his lack of usefulness in the situation. "Jeff! Get over here and help me carry him!"

Startled into action, Jeff obeyed without protest. With his help Shelby was able to carry the now-unconscious nin to the car, and she then drove him back to the apartment, Jeff in the back seat to keep watch over him.

-----

Noon was even less happy than when Shelby had first found Kakashi and brought him back with her. "So he collapsed while fighting yet again _and_ you bring yet another strange man to this apartment!" Jeff glanced over at Shelby, who blushed. Apparently he had noticed to slight inconsistency of their stories. Just then Pakkun came over. Kakashi had neglected to release him from the summoning jutsu. "So he fought Itachi again, neh? Well, he should have known better than to fight him so soon; he's barely recovered from the first attack."

Although it was Japanese, it was still talking, so Jeff was scared out of his wits. "Aaah! The dog talked!!"

Ignoring him, Pakkun continued his inspection of Kakashi. "It looks like he'll be fine. He just needs rest." Glancing meaningfully at Jeff, the nin-dog whispered to Shelby, "Good luck with the explanations," and disappeared in a small cloud of smoke.

As Pakkun had predicted, Jeff soon recovered from his shock and turned to Shelby, stating in a firmly, "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Shelby smiled weakly. She was _not_ looking forward to this.

-----

Kakashi woke up with a groan, once again suprised not to see a white ceiling. He just had the weirdest dream, but for some reason he couldn't remember anything about it except that someone had been trying to tell him something important.

Sighting an unfamiliar face, Kakashi imstantly leapt up, reaching for a kunai that wasn't there. It was then he realized that the man was Shelby's coworker from yesterday. Well at least he hadn't killed him, the nin thought to himself darkly. A wave of dizzyness suddenly forced Kakashi back down to the now-familiar couch. Catching sight of Jeff's startled reaction, he almost laughed. Unfortunately he was still too dizzy to enjoy much of anything right then.

"So, what did I miss?" Kakashi asked, wryly rubbing his head.

Glancing toward Shelby, Jeff said calmly, "She told me how she met you." Kakashi looked at Shelby in suprise.

"What else should I have told him?" she defended. "After all, he did help me get you back here." Still skeptical af the wisdom of her decision, Kakashi accepted it for now.

Carefully sitting up, Kakashi offered, "If you tell me what she told you so far, maybe I can fill in the gaps." Jeff thought for a moment. "She didn't tell me much. All I know is that you're a ninja named Kakashi who suddenly appeared, and now Shelby's taking care of you at this apartment. Also, some guy named Isatchie - "

"Itachi," Kakashi and Shelby interrupted.

"Yeah, that, is a ninja who wants to kill you for some reason. And that's about it," he finished.

Kakashi spoke then. "Itachi has acquired the Mangekyou, a powerful doujutsu with a technique that traps an opponent in an illusion which is often fatal."

Shelby blanched. So that's what had happened in the alley and Kessler Laboratories. Jeff, too, looked pale.

"Okay, so now what do we do?" Shelby asked the silver-haired nin. Kakashi held out his hands in a gesture somewhat resembling a shrug. "Fight him when he comes back, of course. Until then I should probably plan a counterattack and start looking for a way to return to Konoha."

Shelby piped up. "Do you have any idea how to go about doing that?" Kakashi was trying to think of a suitable answer when suddenly the room went dark. As Kakashi looked around in suprise, a disembodied voice reached his ears. "The gate will soon reopen. Be ready."

Once its message had been delivered, the voice faded, taking the darkness with it. Kakashi awoke from his trance to find Shelby standing over him with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay? You seemed a little spaced out for a few moments." Deciding not to concern them with the strange things he had been experiencing lately, Kakashi decided not to tell her what happened. Smiling under his mask, Kakashi reassured Shelby that everything was fine, but Shelby didn't seem convinced.

-----

Later, Kakashi mentioned to Shelby that he didn't approve of her returning to work with only Jeff as protection. After all, Itachi was still out there. Jeff looked a little miffed at this putdown, but Shelby spoke before he could voice his objections. "Maybe if you taght me a little self-defense I could manage to escape him on my own." Kakashi turned down that idea instantly. "The only thing you could possibly learn that would be of any use, is how to run with the Fourth's speed. Since that's impossible, it would be best if I was there."

"But you're still injured!" Shelby protested.

Kakashi braced himself against the couch and stood up. "It's nothing too serious. Besides, I'm not very good at taking things lying down." Shelby sighed in frustration. "Can't be helped, I guess," she muttered. Kakashi grinned. "Now you've got the right idea."

-----

That night Kakashi patrolled the streets, searching for any trace of chakra that Itachi might have left behimd, purposefully or not. Shelby insisted on accompanying him.

"So what's so great about Itachi anyway?" She asked, curious. "I mean, why is he so dangerous?"

Kakashi's step slowed for an instant. "He murdered his entire clan."

Shelby's reaction was far more violent than Kakashi's. She choked on her words, tripping over a small stone on the sidewalk and sprawled face-first on the unyielding concrete. "I wasn't expecting that," she muttered painfully, righting herself. She turned to Kakashi. "He really killed his entire family?"

Kakashi held his hand under his chin in a thoughtful pose. "Well, not his entire family, I guess, since he did leave Sasuke alive," the white-haired nin mused. Then he shrugged. "But I suppose one person out of that many won't make much difference. In answer to your question: yes, he did."

Shelby thought over what Kakashi had said. "Sasuke..."

Kakashi froze. She sounded uncannily like Sakura just then.

Shelby noticed his reaction. It was kind of hard to miss. "I take it Sasuke is a student of yours?"

Kakashi no longer stood frozen in place, but his movements had become oddly stiff. "He was."

Uh-oh, there's that invisible line again! Shelby realized. As she desperately racked her brain for some other topic to talk about, Kakashi began walking again. Shelby had to rush to keep up with him. "I'm sorry, for - whatever happened to him. I didn't realize - "

Kakashi spoke evenly. "He made his choice to seek revenge at any cost. One day he'll have to face its consequences." The two of them walked on in silence for a long time after that. Shelby was about to speak again when a shout echoed throught the night.

"That's the man, Officer! Arrest him!"


	7. Arrested

Chapter Seven: Arrested

Kakashi located the source of the shout. He saw one of the theives that he buried in the pavement using a Doton Jutsu. Judging by the man's dirt-covered appearance, the officer had just discovered the man in the alley a few minutes earlier.

"You again?!" Shelby exclaimed. The officer strode over to Kakashi, handcuffs ready. "Sir, you are under arrest for attempted murder." Kakshi was undisturbed by the appearance of the two men. He looked at the officer, who was very young. Although the man seemed to be the age of an average chuunin, in some ways he reminded Kakashi of a genin, eager to prove his worh and be noticed. Kakashi felt a little sorry for the guy. The most humiliating thing is to be beaten by an opponent you've underestimated, which would be an understatement in this case. He was preparing to knock them both out when his peripheral vision caught a small flash of movement.

Kakashi blanched. Itachi!

Smiling slightly in his unique way, the ex-nin slowly opened his eyes...

---

Kakashi was unfazed by the officer's demands, so Shelby was unworried herself. However, the silver-haired nin suddenly spun toward his left, a whispered, "Itachi!" escaping his lips. Not fully prepared for the attack, Kakashi immediately collapsed, causing Shelby to cry out in alarm. Since his prisoner was lying unconscious on the ground, the officer was unsure of what to do next, so he cuffed the nin's hands behind his back and dragged him to the police car parked on the side of the road. A passer-by stopped to stare at the scene before hurrying on to his own business, determined not to become involved.

---

Shelby begged the officer to take her as well. "Please, let me go too! I can help! I'm acting as his translator while he's in America. You see, he knows some English but only a little so if you let me come - "

The man cut her of, fillng his voice with authority. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't do that. Besides, we have our own translator at the station. This man needs to be taken in for questioning, and he'll probably have to stand trial. So if you would please step away from the car..."

Shelby obeyed reluctantly. The man was the police, after all. The theif grinned at her, obviously pleased with himself at getting them in trouble. She glared at him so hard that he winced and fled back to the safety of the police car. As they drove off, Shelby silently ranted at herself for being incapable of doing anything useful.

-----

Kakashi awoke. He found himself in a room with thick walls and steel bars for a door. So this is what a prison cell looks like. As he sat up, he discovered his hands were in cuffs. Fortunately for him, there was enough room to maneuver his hands into making hand signs. As he began to perform the seals of a technique that would help him escape, an incredible pain forced him to stop, gasping in suprise. Apparently Itachi had sealed his chakra while he was asleep. How annoying, Kakashi observed, wryly rubbing the back of his head in irritation.

His cellmate was already awake and watching the strange actions of the weirdly-dressed old man who had been thrown into his cell, unconscious, the night before. One couldn't help but be a little curious about the newcomer.

Kakashi sat on his bed, gently banging his head against the wall in a gesture of self-contempt. He couldn't use chakra, but he was capable of escaping anyway. However, if he escaped, somehow they would connect him to Shelby and it would reflect badly on her. Bringing her trouble was a poor way to repay her kindness. After all, he wasn't sure how the law worked here. Itachi really got him this time.

Finally becoming aware of his surroundings, Kakashi noticed the other person in the cell with him. "Yo," he greeted.

The man grinned. "Well you're sure a weird one," he commented. Holding out his hand, he introduced himself as Hector Scott, which means that his surname is Scott, Kakashi mentally reminded himself. "And you are?"

Ignoring the man's proffered hand Kakashi returned, "I don't feel like telling you that." The convict looked suprised, them smilied maliciously. "Hidden identity and all that, huh? So that's why you wear a mask? Well, then maybe I should just take off that precious mask of yours," Scott declared, his hand moving toward Kakashi's face. Before the man knew what happened, he had been knocked against the opposite wall, the left side of his face numb from the nin's punch.

"why do people always mistake me fore someone older?" Kakashi muttered darkly to himself. Reaching into his back pocket, he discovered that the guards had taken all of his weapons but, thankfully, had left his book. Kakashi pulled it out and began to read. Finally, something to keep his mind occupied.

-----

That night, Kakashi woke up to find a pair of red eyes staring at him from between the bars of the cell door.

Jumping up to avoid the kunai Itachi threw at him from between the bars of the cell door, the nin thought to himself, "Shoot, I hope he hasn't killed anyone yet, or they'll blame it on me." Fortunately he had enough chakra to cling to the walls for a better defense.

---

His cellmate woke up, alerted by the noise of knives ricocheting off the back wall. Scott looket over at Kakashi. He was astonishid to discover that the white-haired man was standing on the ceiling, holding one of the kunai that Itachi had tossed and was using it to deflect countless shuriken being thrown at blinding speeds. Suddenly the weapons stopped coming and Kakashi gave a small curse, quickly yanking his bed from the wall and using it as a shield, standing it vertically in front of the convict and holding it in place. He was just in time, for a blaze of fire erupted at that moment, burning Kakashi's hand as he discarded the melted bedframe. His cellmate, realizing that he had just been protected, asked incredulously, "Why did you help me? You don't even know me, much less care if I live or die!"

"I suppose I've got nothing better to do with you," Kakashi replied distractedly, never taking his eyes off Itachi.

The man's confidence returned. "So then fight him already! What are you waiting for?"

"I can't!" Kakashi retorted angrily. "He sealed my chakra."

Scott decided it was better not to ask. "This is crazy!" he said to himself, neither nin taking notice as they continued their standoff. "So just _un_seal it then!" he raged back, feeling helpless and hating himself for feeling that way.

Kakashi thought over the man's words. It was difficult, but he had to try. Jerking the second cot out of the wall and, ignoring Scott's protests of, "Hey! That's my bed!" Kakashi stood it up vertically, just like the first. "Hold this," he told the convict, releasing his hold to better focus on gathering his chakra. The seal immediately began to burn, but Kakashi gritted his teeth and pressed on. Soon it grew so fierce that Kakashi let out a scream of pain as he shouted, "KAI!"

Panting from the effort, Kakashi grinned. The seal was broken.

In half a second Kakashi uncovered the Sharingan and formed the seals for the Raikiri, rushing out from behind is makeshift shelter and racing toward the enemy nin, dodging all weapons Itachi threw at him. Kakashi swung his arm, slicing through Itachi's head and down through his heart. As expected, Itachi disappeared, replaced by water. Searching through the building with the Sharingan, Kakashi could no longer detect Itachi's signature. Resigning himself to defeat, Kakashi let the last crackling sparks of the Raikiri fade from his hand. "Can't be helped, I guess," he muttered.

Hector Scott watched all this from behind the flimsy metal bed, his eyes round. "Now I _know_ I'm crazy," he declared in amazement. Kakashi laughed quietly. "Don't worry, you're not crazy. However, I am going to have to keep you here since you are a prisoner and I'm not here to interfere with the law." He began to bend the deformed metal bars back into some semblance of their original shape.

"WHAT?! That's not fair! How come you can escape but I can't?!" Scott protested furiously. Kakashi replied calmly, "Because I have something important I need to do. You, on the other hand - your job is to stay here." Finished, he inspected his work. Glancing at Scott, Kakashi added, "You know, it will be troublesome if you tell anyone about this." The nin moved in closer, the Sharingan whirling in a mesmerizing way. Satisfied with the quality of his work, he stepped back and took off down the hall, leaving the convict unconscious behind him. Hector Scott would no longer remember meeting the silver-haired jounin.


	8. Running

Chapter Eight: Running

Kakashi ran down the streets. While he was battling Itachi, the strange voice had spoken again, declaring that the gate would reopen in twenty-four hours. However, it would only be able to sustain itself for a short time, so this was one thing he must not be late for. At least he had enough time to find Itachi, Kakashi mused. If he left him here there's no telling what could happen. Considering this, he sped along still faster, the Sharingan searching carefully.

-----

Officer James Bradley was cruising on the road in his police car, feeling good about himself. After all, he _had_ just single-handedly arrested a potential killer on his first night: not a bad way to start your career. As he lazily glanced out his window, congratulating himself, his state of euphoria was rudely interrupted by the sight of a white-haired man racing sown the street at an unbelievable speed. Sighting him, the man slowed his pace to match the car's, effortlessly keeping up with him.

"Yo. I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen anybody strange pass by here? He would most likely be wearing a black and red cloak."

Gulping at the sight of the man's unearthly left eye, Bradley stuttered out a reply. "N-no, I haven't. You're the strangest person I've seen all day. That is, except for the guy I arrested earlier today. I've never seen anyone like him either."

Kakashi looked more closely at him, which only frightened the poor man even more. "That was you? I wondered why you looked vaguely familiar." It was then that Bradley recognized the silver hair and black mask. In his alarm he accidentally stomped on the brake pedal, tires squealing as the car was forced into a sudden stop. The nin also skidded to a halt, spinning around and tossing a kunai into the darkness before performing the seals for the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu. He had detected a glimmer of Itachi's presence behind him. Kakashi raced toward the Uchiha's hiding place and released the jutsu, the fireball demolishing part of a store while traveling toward its target.

---

As his once-prisioner suddenly spun around, throwing a knife and spitting fire he conjured from thin air, Officer James Bradley stared like an awestruck child that had just been shown a magic trick. He carefully rolled up his window and drove off as fast as he could. This was by far the weirdest night of his life.

-----

Kunai and shuriken clanged against each other, throwing sparks everywhere. Since no civilians were around that time of night, Kakashi had no need to attempt to neutralize Itachi's Tsukoyomi technique, so his chances of winning had increased slightly.

Someone must have seen them fighting and called the cops. This time they wouldn't be of genin level like that other officer. Kakashi and Itachi parted in a wordless agreement to resume their battle at a later time and place. The two ninjas disappeared silently into the night, leaving the arriving policemen to puzzle over where they had gone.

-----

Kakashi walked leisurely to avoid attracting attention, which was already a difficult task. He passed an electronics store, not paying any attention to the TVs in the display window. A man inside stared at him. Self-consciously Kakashi gave him a small wave, continuing on his way. He hoped Itachi gave him time to recover a little - using the Sharingan was incredibly draining.

The man in the store scratched his head in disbelief and returned to his work. "People nowadays sure have weird fashions," he mumbled to himself. A few minutes later he had completely forgotten the incident.

-----

Shelby returned from work, shutting the door behind her and dropping into a chair with a heavy sigh. Noon appeared from the kitchen, stirring something in a bowl. "That ninja guy escaped a little while ago," she stated. "You know, the one with the white hair."

"What?!" Shelby exclaimed. Noon motioned toward a radio sitting on the counter. "The police just announced it."

Shelby thanked her friend with tear-filled eyes for her unexpected kindness. Noon shrugged it off. "You found him; you should watch out for him. That includes knowing exactly where he is," she added severely, shaking her wooden spoon at Shelby.

"The police arrested him. There really wasn't anything I could do! If he had knocked them all out he would only have gotten himself into even more trouble," she defended. Stirring the mixture again, Noon responded, "I know that."

---

Kakashi finally came into view of Shelby's apartment. He hated endangering her like this, but he had little choice.

---

Shelby was about to go to her room when she heard something. Crawling in through the livingroom window was none other than Kakashi.

"Yo."

"Kakashi! You're okay!" Shelby cried.

"Of course I am. A simple cell like that one can't hold me for long," he said nonchalantly, purposefully neglecting to tell her about the chakra seal that had given him some difficulty. "But that's not important. Shelby-san," Kakashi said, his voice serious, "I need you to tell me exactly where you first met me."

Suprised, Shelby asked him, "Why the sudden interest?"

Shutting the window and scanning for police lights, Kakashi told her, "The gate that brought me here will reopen in - " he checked the clock. " -about eighteen hours." Both Shelby and Noon were astonished by this news. Noon, of course, was the first to recover. What will you do about that Itachi person?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'm going to do my best to bring him with me."

Shelby gasped. Having witnessed some of Itachi's power herself, she had some idea of the magnitude of this task. "All I can say is, good luck, and I found you in the middle of Third Street. Here," she added, handing Kakashi a small map, "I marked the spot." Kakashi nodded his thanks. "Also, I'd appreciate it if before I go I could have my own clothes back. I find them easier to fight in." Shelby obliged.

Now dressed in his regular attire, Kakashi reopened the window to leave. Shelby burst out, "Wait! Why don't you stay for a little longer to catch up on your rest or something? You don't have to leave yet!"

Kakashi shook his head. "This place is too confined for a shinobi battle. If Itachi came here you would undoubtedly get in the way. It's not polite of me to repay you like that." Once more he began to leave, and again Shelby stalled him.

"You never told us your real name."

Kakashi grinned. "I am Hatake Kakashi, son of Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves," he stated, a faint note of pride concealed in his voice. So saying, he leapt gracefully out the window to the ground two stories below and raced off into the night.

---

Although she didn't really understand it all, Shelby recognized the fact that she had just been entrusted with something incredibly precious. Gazing out the window at the spot where the nin had disappeared, she hoped that one day she could come to understand.


	9. A Little Problem

Chapter Nine: A Little Problem

Kakashi sped through the darkness, eventually stopping at a small park. It was a good spot, he decided, checking the map. He could reach the gateway in less than five minutes, it wasn't too close to buildings, and it even had a few sturdy trees. Bounding up the trunk of one, he rested in its branches, placing his book across his face and hoping that would deter anyone from awakening him. Even as he settled down to sleep, he remained ever alert for Itachi's presence.

-----

Something tugged at the edge of Kakashi's consciousness. Finally he realized that someone was nearby, immediately springing to his feet, in his haste dropping the bright orange novel he constantly carried. Concentrating chakra to his feet, Kakashi swung around the branch and caught the book before it reached the ground, hanging upside down.

A small gasp of suprise drew his attention. A little girl of no more than four years stared back at him. "Are you lost?" Kakashi asked in English. The child seemed confused. "Sakura-dis," she replied timidly.

Switching to Japanese, Kakashi asked, "Is that your name?" She nodded. "Daddy's on a trip to Ha-wa-ii," she pronounced slowly, "and Mommy's at work, but she hasn't come back yet and I'm scared." The little girl began to cry. Kakashi sighed to himself. This was not the best time to take care of a stray child. Not that he was good with kids to begin with. Resigning himself, Kakashi questioned her, "Where do you live?"

Pointing to one of the houses behing the park, Sakura sniffed and snuggled Kakashi's leg as he stiffened at the unexpected contact. "I'm scared. When's Mommy coming back?"

Kakashi winced. He had heard that question far too often. "We're going to look for her right now, so don't worry, S-Sakura," he reussured, stumbling slightly over the name of his student.

Slipping through an open window, which was probably how the girl got out in the first place, Kakashi left a message to her parents in Japanese stating that he had taken the child to the police station and that they could pick her up there. Lifting Sakura to his shoulder, Kakashi set off for the station. If only they weren't after him, this would be a whole lot easier, but... "It can't be helped, I guess," he muttered, increasing his speed slightly.

Kakashi finally sighted his goal. He was just about to sigh in relief when Itachi's presence hit his senses like a brick wall. Wheeling about, Kakashi sighted the Akatsuki member standing on the roof. "Why did he have to show up _now?"_ Kakashi thought furiously. He slid to a stop across the station as Itachi stepped in front of the building's entrance, facing the white-haired nin. Cursing such bad timing, Kakashi had Sakura sit down in front of a streetlight. "Stay here," he told her firmly, never taking his eyes off of Itachi.

"What's going on?" the little girl asked, frightened.

"Don't worry; I'll protect you."

---

Cars and people sped by, oblivious to the silent battle wich would soon erupt violently. Glancing at a nearby clock, Kakash became alarmed. He only had three hours left!

"Shoot, I guess I have no choice," he muttered, pulling a scroll out of one of the pockets of his vest. He reached his hand into the kunai holster on his right leg and carefully sliced his thumb. Spreading out the scroll, he wiped his thumb along its length, calling out his nin-dogs and sending them after Itachi as soon as they appeared. "Pakkun, if you would stay here to potect the child," Kakashi requested, "I would be able to fight him more comfortably." Looking at the strange surroundings and Itachi blocking the way ahead of them, his Akatsuki cloak standing out even in the crowd, Pakkun commented, "Sometime you'll have to explain what happened here." Nodding, Kakashi replied, "I know, but it's a long story."

-----

Kakashi panted heavily. It was incredibly hard to fight without the Sharingan, but unless he was forced to, he would rather not depend on its power. It took too much chakra to be used frivolously. Fortunately Itachi didn't seem to mind.

By now all of his nin-dogs had vanished except for Pakkun,who was still protecting the little girl. Soon Kakashi heard the sirens signifying that police had noticed - finally- the two men fighting directly outside their station.

After discovering that bullets didn't work because the men would just dodge them, the police called in bigger equipment. As a helicopter flew overhead, several armored cars drove in, surrounding the two nins, the regular traffic having long since been diverted. One of the police was shouted something in an amplified voice, but as far as Kakashi knew, Itachi couldn't understand English, and his own attention was needed elsewhere, so the message went unheard. Eventually the people got fed up. One approached Itachi, who ignored him. The man fired the mechanism he was holding, sending volts of electricity through Itachi's body. Irritated at the distraction, Itachi struck the taser out of the way and began to choke the man. The white-haired nin took advantage of this opportunity and summoned his chakra. Kakashi shoved up the hitaiate to reveal the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"How? How is it possible?" Itachi cried incredulously.

Kakashi continued to focus his chakra. "You never know what will happen when you try."

"You mean you acquired the Mangekyou _just now?!"_ Itachi demanded.

Shrugging Kakashi replied, "I guess that about sums it up. Looks like the 'you must kill your best friend' requirement was just a lie to test Sasuke's dedication to killing you. That wasn't very nice of you."

"But how?! You're not even an Uchiha! You don't _deserve_ to wield the power of the Sharingan!"

Shaking his head in mock disappointment, Kakashi sighed, "Even after you killed your entire clan you still hold on to their selfish way of thinking? I'm suprised at you, Itachi. I expected better."

As Itachi seethed with silent rage, Kakashi turned his eye on the nin. "Now sleep, for this is your last battle."

---

While the Akatsuki member fought the Mangekyou with his own, the man who, until recently, was being choked by a furious Itachi, revived and once more used the stun gun on the Uchiha. As Itachi was on the ground, twitching from the electric shock of the amplified taser, Kakashi quickly closed the Sharingan and pulled the hitaiate down. If he wasn't careful he would collapse, unable to move - or reach the portal.

The man tried to use the taser on Kakashi as well, but since the nin had already witnessed its purpose, he was able to avoid it easily.

"I appreciate your assistance in capturing a dangerous criminal," Kakashi stated calmly, pretending not to notice the astonished expression on the man's face, "but I must ask yet another favor of you." Pointing to where Pakkun stood guard, he explained his request. "This young girl's name is Sakura. I was taking her here to wait for her parents, but this guy attacked me before I could get inside," Kakashi stated. One of the policemen spoke then, drawing the nin's attention immediately. "I remember that girl. We arrested her mother yesterday for arson. The father was supposed to take care of her."

The man's friend supported him, saying, "Oh, yeah, the Japanese woman from the Kessler case! I remember that too."

"Kessler?" Kakashi repeated, recognizing the name and trying to recall where he heard it. " Oh. That fire was sort of my fault." he apologized as everyone stared at him. The nin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Er, sorry?"


	10. Time Enough

Chapter Ten: Time Enough

As the others continued to stare at him, Kakashi walked over to Sakura, picked her up, and handed her to the police chief, whispering comfortingly in Japanese, "Don't worry, Sakura, these people here are going to take you to your mother."" She nodded, answering tearfully, "H-hai, arigato." Kakashi ruffled her hair fondly, turning to leave. Suddenly she cried out, "Wait! Don't go yet!" Kakashi stopped in suprise. "W-will I ever see you again?"

Kakashi berated himself for getting involved with another child. It tended to play havoc with his emotions. "No, probably not," the nin replied apologetically.

Pakkun trotted up to Kakashi. "How ironic that her name is Sakura," he commented before disappearing with a quiet poof. "You're telling me," Kakashi muttered to the empty air. Striding over to where Itachi lay, he quickly placed seals on the nin's chakra to prevent his escape. As Kakashi was about to take off with Itachi, his own body stiffened and refused to move. Exhaustion from the long fight had finally kicked in. "Shoot," he muttered as he collapsed facefirst onto the pavement.

-----

Kakashi awoke to find himself lying in a chair in the waiting room of the police station, his hands cuffed. Effortlessly controlling his chakra, Kakashi broke free of the weakened metal. Just then the police chief approached Kakashi.

"After seeing you fight I doubted those handcuffs would keep you down for long, but it helped reassure some of the more skeptical people who wanted to throw you back into a cell immediately. Eventually they agreed to keep you here for questioning instead. Your friend is already behind bars. When we searched him, he sure had a lot of stuff on him." The cheif motioned toward a box filled with shuriken, kunai, and other assorted weapons. Kakashi silently congratulated them on making a smart move for once.

While they walked, the man explained that the mother of the girl, Sakura, had only been arrested because she was the last one left in the building while the flames began to appear, but now they realized that the woman had merely been trapped inside a locked room. Since she forgot her keys, she had been unable to escape.

Kakashi listened attentively to the chief's explanation, expressing his gratitude for their assistance in reuniting the girl with her parents. His eye passed over a clock on someone's desk, the blood draining from his face as he realized what time it was. He had five minutes to get to the gateway or be stuck here forever!

---

The cheif noticed Kakashi's alarm and asked him if something was wrong. Recovering his composure, Kakashi protested, "No, I'm fine. It's just that I realized I need to be somewhere very shortly, and I'll have to take Itachi with me." Quickly stifling the cheif's objections, Kakashi continued, "And then we'll be gone for good."

Slowly the cheif nodded his assent. "Alright, I'll see what I can do about having him released temporarily."

Kakashi stopped him. "Unfortunately there's no time for that. If I make it look as if I broke him out, you can pin the blame on me. Since I won't be here any longer you don't have to worry about prosecuting an innocent man. Case closed, as they say."

The cheif grinned. "You must have a alot of experience at this sort of thing."

"A lot," Kakashi agreed, smiling as well. The man really had no idea how much experience. Come to think of it, neither did most of the people from his village.

Locating Itachi with a furtive glance from the Sharingan, the silver-haired nin sped off in that direction, leaving the stunned police cheif behind.

---

Kakashi dismissed the guards and went into Itachi's cell. "Time to go, Itachi. We don't belong here, so I'm taking you somewhere else," he stated in Japanese. Itachi look at at him, face emotionless, his eyes strangely dark without the Sharingan. "I take it you mean back to our world."

"Quite possibly, but I doubt it. Otherwise, why would someone go through the trouble of opening the gate that brought me here?" Kakashi replied. "Unless you want to stay here permenantly, you should cooperate a little - there's not much time left before it reopens."

It stung his pride, but Itachi eventually resigned himself to doing as the silver-haired nin said. He was still a little weak from resisting Kakashi earlier. A Mangekyou Sharingan is not a thing to be taken lightly.

---

Activating the exploding tag on the cell door, Kakashi unceremoniously threw Itachi over his shoulder and raced through the hole in the wall to the street outside. Kakashi sped down the streets, pushing himself to go still faster. He only had a minute left!

---

The white-haired nin finally entered the final street just as the gate's portal began to appear. Suddenly his body froze and he lost his grip on Itachi. "Not now!"

The Uchiha may have been willing to leave that world, but that didn't mean he was willing to let Kakashi live. With his body paralyzed from the afteraffects of using the Sharingan, Kakashi was unable to defend himself.

Unexpectedly another portal opened, and a teenage girl in a dark blue robe stepped out of its swirling darkness. After glancing at the injured nin, she faced Itachi and held out her hand, shooting out a stream of black energy that wound itself around the Akatsuki member. She smiled slightly as she saw the astonished expressions on both nins' faces. "Glad to help," she said in English. Just then Kakashi realized howvery grateful he was that he had taught himself how to speak that language.

Just then someone else appeared, and another, and three more, until six people (plus Itachi) stood in the middle of the streets of New York. Well, five people stood. Kakashi kind of laid there on the ground.

---

"Time to go," the teenager announced softly. Kakashi smiled under his mask as he struggled to his feet. "Hai." T

he small group of heroes climbed through the portal, onto a new and different wourld of adventures yet to come.

-----

Shelby sighed as she worked. Jeff looked over at her. "Whatever happened to your ninja friend and Kasitcha-"

"Itachi," Shelby corrected automatically. "He left."

Jeff was suprised. "Oh. He went back to Japan then?"

Distractedly she replied, "Yes, Japan, of course..." Shelby sat staring out the window, wondering how the silver-haired shinobi was doing.

-----

Falling to the ground awkwardly, the nin carefully got to his knees. Someone approached the little group. He was a dark-haired boy, strongly reminding Kakashi of Sasuke, and was dressed in a blue and white outfit. When he reached the group, Kakashi could see a strange winged creature flitting around the boy's shoulder.

"My name is Alviss. Welcome to MAR."

* * *

**_Kakashi's story will continue in book seven._**

**_Next time: the story of Raven from "Teen Titans."_**


End file.
